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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23152456">Subway Stop Smiles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petrichora_Vellichor/pseuds/Petrichora_Vellichor'>Petrichora_Vellichor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Brief Mentions of Oral Hygiene, Dentist Garth, Disney Songs, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Implied Future Garth/Kelly, Kid Fic, Meet-Cute, Pre-Relationship, Singing In The Subway, Toddler Jack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:08:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,616</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23152456</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Petrichora_Vellichor/pseuds/Petrichora_Vellichor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>While playing guitar at a subway stop, Garth meets a lost little boy, Jack, who is looking for his mother. Turns out Jack's mother, Kelly, is everything Garth has been looking for as well...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Garth Fitzgerald &amp; Jack Kline, Garth Fitzgerald/Kelly Kline</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Subway Stop Smiles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for: SPN Fluff Bingo (square filled: Child AU) and SPN Rare Ship Bingo (square filled: Kelly).</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On his days off, Garth liked going to the subway station near his apartment and playing guitar for tips. </p><p>It wasn’t that he was strapped for cash; in fact, things at the dental practice were going great, so much so that he’d recently hired a third assistant and a fourth receptionist. Still, talking to patients about strategies for improving oral hygiene and scraping the plaque off their teeth did little to feed Garth’s hunger for creative endeavors, so that’s where his stints in subway came in. </p><p>(Plus, he used the extra money he earned to buy some wicked cool prizes for his young [and young-at-heart] patients: going to the dentist, he reasoned, was a lot more fun if you got to leave with a bombass yo-yo that flashed bright colors when you spun it or your very own copy of <i>Where the Wild Things Are</i>.)</p><p>Today had been a good day. Garth had arrived at the station a little before nine in the morning; it was now just after twelve, and he’d already managed to net around fifty dollars, enough to buy at least a couple new bits of swag from the novelty toy store a few stops away. He’d just bent down to put his guitar back in its case when he heard a wail and looked up to see a train pulling out of the station and a young boy sitting alone on the platform.</p><p>The boy was small, maybe four or five, and he was crying and clutching a stuffed dog. The few people that still milled about the station were either ignoring him outright or casting him furtive glances that clearly said they’d rather someone else deal with the situation. </p><p>Garth frowned. <i>People, man,</i> he thought, shaking his head. <i>Acting like a crying kid’s the end of the world.</i> He snapped his guitar case closed, then headed over to see if he could help.</p><p>“Hey, bud,” he said, smiling. He squatted at the boy's side. “You OK?”</p><p>The little boy sniffled and looked at Garth with large, watery eyes. “I want my Mommy," he said in a small voice.</p><p>Garth looked around at the mostly deserted station, but now that he’d approached the boy, no one else was paying them any mind. Whoever the boy’s mommy was, she didn’t seem to be around.</p><p><i>Little man must be lost,</i> Garth realized with a pang. <i>Let’s get him found.</i> He turned back to the little boy, sympathetic. “Aw, I’m sorry you can’t find your mommy,” he said, then added, “It’s OK, though: I’m actually a Professional Mommy Finder!” Garth held out a hand. “My name’s Garth. What’s your name?”</p><p>The little boy regarded him warily, his only response to wipe his eyes and hug his stuffed dog closer.</p><p><i>Right, stranger danger.</i> Garth chewed his tongue thoughtfully for a moment, then gave the boy another smile. <i>Time to go stealth.</i> “Wait!” he said, raising a finger, “Don’t tell me, let’s see if I can guess it!” </p><p>He sat back on his heels, assuming an expression of deep concentration and scratching his chin; a few seconds later, he snapped his fingers and pointed at the boy, excited. “Asmodeus! Your name is Asmodeus, isn’t it?”</p><p>The little boy scrunched his face, confused. “No.”</p><p>“Oh snap!” said Garth, smacking his forehead. “Did I say Asmodeus? I meant Balthazar.”</p><p>That earned a smile. “No.”</p><p>“Darn. OK, how about...Crowley! I bet it’s Crowley.”</p><p>The little boy giggled and shook his head. “No-o!”</p><p>“Well, why not?” demanded Garth, grinning. “Crowley’s a great name! In fact,” he said, leaning forward to whisper conspiratorially, “I bet it’s even better than <i>your</i> name!” </p><p>The little boy looked indignant. “Is not!”</p><p>“Why? What’s your name?”</p><p>“Jack!”</p><p>Garth chuckled. <i>Bingo.</i> “Jack,” he repeated, nodding. “You’re right, that’s a much better name! OK, Jack, let’s go sit over here,” he pointed to a nearby bench, “and we can talk some more. Sound good?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Jack agreed. He followed Garth over to the bench, setting his stuffed dog down on the seat before climbing up to sit with his legs dangling off the edge. </p><p>Garth sat next to him with his guitar case on his lap, folding his arms across the top and leaning forward to rest his chin on his hands. “So, Jack, where did you last see your mommy?”</p><p>“On da twain," said Jack, who was busy situating his stuffed dog in his lap.</p><p>“On the...” Garth glanced over at the empty track. “The one that just left?”</p><p>Jack nodded. “Yeah.”</p><p>“Why aren’t you with her, bud?”</p><p>Jack held up his stuffed dog. “I dwopped Wolfie,” he said.</p><p>Garth nodded, reaching out to shake one of the dog’s stuffed paws. “Hi, Wolfie, nice to meet you. <i>You too, Garth!</i>” he added in falsetto, causing Jack to giggle again. “OK, so you dropped Wolfie. Where'd you drop him?”</p><p>Jack pointed at a spot on the ground a few feet away. “I comed back to get him," he said.</p><p>“You got off the train to get Wolfie?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Without your mommy?”</p><p>“She put da gwocewies on da seat,” explained Jack.</p><p>“Oh, she was putting the groceries on the seat?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p><i>Now we're getting somewhere,</i> he thought. “Okay, so she was busy, and she didn’t see you get off. Then, after you got off, the train left.” </p><p>Jack’s lip twitched; he looked like he might start crying again. “Yeah...”</p><p>“Hey, hey, it’s OK,” Garth said quickly, in the reassuring tone he usually reserved for anxious patients. “I’ll bet your mommy’s on the next train back. We’ll wait right here for her, ’kay?” </p><p>Jack nodded, and Garth smiled. “Cool beans. In the meantime,” he said, setting his guitar case down on the ground and snapping it open, “you wanna hear a song?” </p><p>**********</p><p>They sang “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, “Down By the Bay”, and “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”, and they were halfway through “Hakuna Matata” when a train pulled into the station. </p><p><i>“'It means no worries for the rest of your day-ay-ays!'”</i> sang Garth, strumming out the rhythm. <i>“'It’s our problem free philosophy—'”</i></p><p>“Jack!”</p><p>Garth looked up, and his jaw dropped. <i>Hakuna ma</i>-wowza...</p><p>The voice had come from a pretty brunette woman wearing a green sundress and a straw-brimmed hat. She had a grocery bag over each shoulder and was rushing toward them. <i>“Jack!”</i></p><p>Jack’s face lit up, and he scrambled down off the bench, Wolfie falling once again to the ground. “Mommy!”</p><p><i>Mamma mia,</i> thought Garth dimly. <i>Jack, bud, no offense, but how do you walk away from</i> her<i>?</i></p><p>The woman knelt and swept Jack into an embrace. “Thank God!” she said, pressing a fierce kiss to the side of Jack’s head before pulling back, hands resting on Jack’s shoulders. “Jack, baby, you <i>can’t do that.</i> You have to stay with me when we’re on the subway, OK?”</p><p>Jack nodded, looking contrite. “I sowwy, Mommy.”</p><p>“I know, just—” she let out a shuddering breath and pulled him in for another hug; as she rested her head on Jack’s shoulder, her light green gaze flickered over to Garth for the first time.</p><p><i>Aaand it’s go time.</i> Garth cleared his throat and tried to rein in his thoughts, which were currently galloping around his head like wild, heart-eyed horses. He raised a hand to his mouth for a quick breath check, then disguised the motion by smoothing his hair. <i>Yippee-ki-yay, mamacita.</i></p><p>“Hi!” he said, standing...only to nearly trip over his guitar case. He steadied himself at the last moment, managing a cheerful "Meant to do that!", then picked Wolfie up off the ground and headed over to Jack and Jack’s apparently super-hot mom. “Careful, bud," he said, holding out Wolfie with a smile, "you dropped someone.”</p><p>Jack beamed and reached up to take the dog. “Gawf singed songs wif me!” he said, hugging Wolfie to his chest and turning to look at his mom.</p><p>The woman studied Garth for a moment, then gave him a slow smile. “Gawf, I presume?”</p><p>Garth chuckled. “Guilty as charged,” he said, then held out a hand. “I also answer to ‘Garth’, though.”</p><p>“Garth,” the woman repeated, smile widening. She reached out and clasped his hand in hers. “Thank you for taking care of Jack. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”</p><p><i>Just let me look at that smile for a second longer,</i> thought Garth, <i>and we’re even.</i> Then he remembered he was supposed to answer out loud. “Oh, uh, don’t worry about it,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as bashful to Jack’s mom as he did to himself, <i>unless maybe she likes bashful?</i> “All in a day’s work, Ms....?”</p><p>“Kline,” the woman said; then, with a twinkle in her eye, added, “I also answer to ‘Kelly’, though.”</p><p><i>Duuude...</i> </p><p>“Mommy,” interjected Jack, pulling at Kelly’s dress, “can Gawf eat wunch wif us? Pwease?”</p><p>Garth felt a surge of affection for the little guy; still, he didn’t want to press his luck—truth be told, it didn’t usually last this long—but before he could respond, Kelly beat him to the punch.</p><p>“Only if he wants to,” she said, and her smile...Garth was a dentist, he knew smiles. Hers was different: in less than five minutes of acquaintance, it’d become his favorite. “We were going to eat at <i>Benny’s</i> a few stops away,” Kelly continued, nodding over her shoulder at the incoming train, “if you like Cajun food and want to join us.”</p><p>Garth had no idea if he liked Cajun food, but he <i>definitely</i> wanted to join them, and maybe have a chance to see if Kelly’s laugh was as gorgeous as her smile. He had a feeling it probably was.</p><p>“Yeah,” he said, smiling. “Count me in.”</p>
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